While I have two kids already, most of my friends are either TTC (trying to conceive), pregnant, or are trying hard not to get to pregnant. They either belong to “cant wait to have another baby” or “I don’t want to have a baby YET” category. We all have one thing in common though: We plan. While pills are becomingly increasingly popular for birth control, most of my friends (and I) go the natural way: the Rhythm method or the Natural Planning way. A friend even has a bead bracelet depicting her cycle to help her keep track of her fertile days.

If you are most of the time online (like me), you can use the ovulation calendar at Gurgle.com to predict your fertile days. You just need to input when your last monthly period started and how long your cycle usually lasts and they will predict when you’re most fertile over the next twelve months.

They even have a contest running for a whole year supply of Comfort Pure fabric conditioner! If you want to enter, just click here.

As for us, we don’t have any plans of adding a third baby in the near future. We still have a lot of plans and we wouldn’t be able to financially support three kids with me not working and the two kids going to school next year (argh!!!!) so yes, no baby # 3 yet.

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I am caught off guard with the holiday rush. There are still 101 things to do before Christmas arrives and procastinator that I am, you bet that I have not even started anything.

With Edil being home, I have limited time computer, during early mornings when the kids and him are still sleeping and late evenings when the kids are sleeping. That means I cram and cram to meet deadlines for job assignments – I don’t say no even to the lowest offers – it’s all about getting the cashola now, with the no-spending-lets-start-saving pact I did with fellow Mommy bloggers.

Anyway, that was such a LOOOONG foreword, REMIND ME to blog about these:
1. Matthew’s Field Trip
2. Matthew’s Birthday Party
3. Matthew’s Ambition
4. Martha’s Accident
5. Simbang Gabi
6. The Kids’ Wish List for Santa (check)
7. The Yearly Round-Up.

That’s enough for me to fill up until Christmas Eve, which I am sure will have MORE stories.

Enjoy the holidays!

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When I was pregnant with Mato, I was such a devotee of our Our Lady of Lourdes. I would often pray that my unborn son would have the best qualities of the people I love. My prayer went like this all the time:

That he will have my father’s faith

My mom’s tenacity

My father-in-law’s industry

My mother-in-law’s heart

And Edil’s simplicity of heart.

And Mother Mary didn’t disappoint. My son has such a great love for God and her, he has grown well despite the dysfunctional family he experienced when he was growing up, he works hard, has a kind heart and loves life.

Now I pray that he will continue to be the amazing boy that he is and that he grows up to be a person worthy to be called a “man”.

He was the catalyst for me to make my life right and for that I’m eternally grateful. Things always have a way of turning things around when you lest expect it.I’m so glad my life turned!

Happy 8th Birthday Matthew!

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We were talking about some huge life changes we did this year for our family and so far, hands down, the biggest change was moving houses. It didn’t only signify that we were changing houses, but we were moving out on our own, to another city, and a whole new environment. To say it was a huge life risk was an understatement. However, we would not change it for anything. We are grateful that our kids took the changes so positively and they don’t even crave for the materialism the city has to offer (going to the mall everyday, getting take-out fastfood every chance they can get). We haven’t sacrificed my son’s education as his school is really good and he is thriving. We really are grateful that we have survived the crucial six months. Maybe the hardest part was not having Edil during the six months at home but here comes the good news:

Edil has been transferred to our area effective January 1. So that means he will be staying at home beginning today . Christmas wish No.1 fulfilled. I actually have known since November, but couldn’t blog about or tell anyone for fear of jinxing it, and not until I read the transfer paper will I believe it, so there

We have huge plans for next year but we need to take care of a pressing issue first. Once we solve that, I think we will be good to go to Life Plan No. 2

Perhaps, moving was really our exodus – our flight to change. And though we didn’t have an easy move, it was good for us in a way since Edil and I were forced to work together. Here, where moving vans and moving services do not exist, we were a two-man (woman) team packing, moving and unpacking. With two kids in tow at the car all the time. It’s good we practiced some moving tips with family with our kids first.

If we lived in the UK, things would have been different. We would have had it easier, as moving services are available, there is even a free moving planner tool I can use, as OC as I am with lists. There are even removal quotes you can inquire from the removal company – they refer to moving services sometimes as “man and van”.

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Remind me to not take my big body granted ever. Granted I have a big body = tons of fat for insulation, it isn’t warm enough for the cold winds of Tagaytay. And with Matthew running with colds, it is very easy to catch it – we just spent a whole day together at his Field Trip, which I will blog about, promise.

Granted I really take care of my teeth well, it doesn’t mean I can guzzle down Coke like water and eat every sweet thing I can lay my eyes on. One tooth that has pasta filling is KILLING me. If you have experienced tooth pain, it is second to child delivery pains, promise. I really know what ‘radiating’ pain is. Remind me to use that term if ever I get to go to the ER again.

Granted work has been good and steady, it doesn’t mean that I sacrifice the long hours I should be sleeping slaving away in front of the computer. That doesn’t cut it, even if I have been very good at not being online when the kids are awake. It overcompensate when they are sleeping though.

Granted I have been reading again, it doesn’t mean that I need to finish the book in 24 hrs.

So yes, going gone sick. Happy Holidays. (sarcasm)

On a side note, please consider blogging about this, and give the best gift this season. You may also hold a gift-giving on the orphanage or do a donation for certain organizations like those afflicted with cerebral palsy. The bottomline here is GIVE.

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Before the internet and scrapbooking swept me off my feet, I have been loyal to my first real love: reading. We are a family of bookworms and all of us in the family would rather curl up, lie down and enjoy a book than watch TV. Things have changed when I discovered blogging and scrapbooking and chatting with friends. I missed reading – but I cannot afford to buy books that will only be torn when one of the kids holds the tantrum of the day. Besides, I have to admit – I felt that I needed a break from reading.

Now, thanks to the gift of my Twitter Mommy, I have rediscovered the joys of reading again. Provided that I still cannot sniff the smell of a new book and have the pleasure of dog-earing its pages, at least I feel my imagination and brain is getting a workout – where everything online these days are visual and appealing, it really is nice to find myself imagining things again – in a good way. I’d like to think of this as warm up to studying again. Soon.

Thanks Dzoi! I loved reading the Twilight Saga, Can You Keep a Secret?, Mr. Maybe and Jemima Jones. In fact, I’m besotted with JJ. But those books deserve another entry.

I just love that I get to read again. Cheaply of course.

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December is halfway over – before you know it, it’s going to be Christmas and with a blink of an eye, 2009 has come!

Remember my AWK#3: Halfway There tag? Well, we are just going to be continuing what we have done – this time from July  to December! No worries if you werent able to do the first one. Just join in!

Little How-To:

Here’s what I did, I posted my roundup month per month, with an equivalent word (I planned this for scrapping year end month to month memories), and posted some highlights per month (your blog will come in handy here). If it’s too tedious for you, you can just list some memorable things/accomplishments/disappointments that you remember or do the survery I snagged from Glo (which you can see below – Im a sucker for these things I did it as well). If you have your Things To Look Forward To or resolutions from last January, link that as well. At the end of your post, please tell me what are the things you look forward to with the remaining months of the year (Masyado atang kumplikado to no? Hehehe – You will thank me for this!)

And you can do this as well!

2008 Wrap Up — Second Half Edition:

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE THAT YOU’VE NEVER DONE BEFORE?

DID YOU KEEP YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS?

DID ANYONE CLOSE TO YOU GIVE BIRTH?

DID ANYONE CLOSE TO YOU DIE?

WHAT COUNTRIES DID YOU VISIT?

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR THAT YOU LACKED EARLY THIS YEAR?

WHAT DATE WILL REMAIN ETCHED UPON YOUR MEMORY AND WHY?

WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT OF THE YEAR?

WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST FAILURE?

DID YOU SUFFER ILLNESS OR INJURY?

WHAT WAS THE BEST THING YOU BOUGHT?

WHOSE BEHAVIOR MERITED CELEBRATION?

WHOSE BEHAVIOR MADE YOU APPALLED AND DEPRESSED?

WHERE DID MOST OF YOUR MONEY GO?

WHAT DID YOU GET REALLY, REALLY, REALLY EXCITED ABOUT?

WHAT SONG(S) WILL ALWAYS REMIND YOU OF THINGS THAT HAPPENED EARLY THIS YEAR?

COMPARED TO THIS TIME, LAST YEAR, ARE YOU:

I. HAPPIER OR SADDER?

II. THINNER OR FATTER?

III. RICHER OF POORER?

WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU’D DONE MORE?

WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU’D DONE LESS OF?

HOW WILL YOU BE SPENDING CHRISTMAS?

DID YOU FALL IN LOVE?

HOW MANY ONE-NIGHT STANDS?

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TV PROGRAM?

DO YOU HATE ANYONE NOW THAT YOU DIDN’T HATE THIS TIME LAST YEAR?

WHAT WAS THE BEST BOOK YOU READ?

WHAT WAS YOUR GREATEST MUSICAL DISCOVERY?

WHAT DID YOU WANT AND GET?

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE FILM OF THIS YEAR?

WHAT DID YOU DO ON YOUR BIRTHDAY, AND HOW OLD WERE YOU?

WHAT ONE THING WOULD HAVE MADE YOUR HALF YEAR IMMEASURABLY MORE SATISFYING?

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL FASHION CONCEPT THIS PAST HALF YEAR?

WHAT KEPT YOU SANE?

WHICH CELEBRITY / PUBLIC FIGURE DID YOU FANCY THE MOST?

WHAT POLITICAL ISSUE STIRRED YOU THE MOST?

WHO DID YOU MISS?

Leave me a comment once you’re done! Ill be posting the round-up first week of January! Be back with mine soon!

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Two down. Seven more to go. I hope we can complete it this year. The last time I was able to complete it was when I was 8 years old and I will never forget what my Dad told me when I completed the 9 days. He said I can make a wish and it will come true. Of course I don’t even remember what I wished for at that time.

This year I hope I can complete because I have a very important wish (which will of course remain a secret) .

We go to mass here every night at 8PM:

And here where we are it is freezing! It doesn’t help that it is windy and OMGoodness, there really is hamog, when I go out for a walk, the top of my head gets wet.

(Day 1 and Day 2)

Of course it is also the perfect time to unearth all those jackets my relatives have given my kids. Matthew is quite partial to the Old Navy jacket I gave him, I so wish he’d use another so I can have different pictures, hehehe.

After mass, there is some carolling made by my parents with other people and my daughter becomes a number one fan. She even has LSS with one particular song: Rocking Christmas.

After carolling comes my favorite part – eating I need to eat puto bumbong before Christmas!!! I’ve eaten ham, bibingka, fruit salad, all those Christmassy foods but I still havent eaten puto bumbong, LOL.

If you are familiar with the Fatima Devotion, Mama Mary is in our house for the week, I requested it because of Matthew’s birthday this Sunday. With her around, we are more or less quieter, the kids are really good these days, I can get used to it

They are even up for some timer shots at home. Matthew especially. That is a miracle. LOL

I actually think we can complete it. I just hope we can go home early on the 18th, the day of Matthew’s field trip. Our call time at school is freaking early: 5:30AM. As long as they let us go home by 8PM I’m all good. You bet I’m going to take tons of pictures.

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